{Hope for the Home}: A Charlie Brown Christmas and Hand Print Christmas Trees

One of my favorite things to do as a family is have movie night! And I particularly love this tradition during the holidays. In fact, one of my favorite nights of the year happens to be the night that we watch The Polar Express, together as a family, before Christmas. We have been watching it together every year since the boys were old enough to watch movies...my boys have always loved trains and I just love the message behind it!

I am sure you will hear more about this fabulous movie from me in the future, there are so many spiritual parallels. But for now, here is just one of the awesome quotes:

Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can't see.

Last week at the preschool where I work, our class made these adorable hand print Christmas trees and I fell in love...I just had to come home and make them with my boys! Didn't Little E do a nice job on his?

Supplies needed:

- butcher paper

- paint

- glue

- construction paper

- glitter or glitter glue (optional)

They are so easy to make! Simply paint your little one's palm with green paint and have them press their hand print onto the butcher paper in the shape of a tree (3 prints on the bottom row, then 2 above, then 1 on top). Use brown paint or construction paper to add a little trunk and then glue a paper star (made from yellow construction paper) on the very top. I painted the star with gold glitter glue to give it a little shine, but a plain yellow one works just as well.

I plan to write their name and the date in the bottom corner before framing it. That way I can hang them in our home every year at Christmas time...what a great gift these would make for the grandparents!

For a fun afternoon activity with your family, combine this craft with the movie, "A Charlie Brown Christmas," to represent Charlie's little Christmas tree, which is a central theme in the show.

And the best part...Linus shares the true meaning of Christmas in the movie, quoting Luke 2:8-14. 

Obviously, this is another Christmas movie that we watch as a family every year. I am going to use every opportunity I can to share the real reason for the season with my boys!

Merry Christmas, friends! Praise God for His indescribable gift!

About the Author: Erin Vick Franklin is the founder and director of Worthy of the Prize. Erin has a BBA in Marketing and Management from TCU and a Masters of Christian Education in Church Recreation from Southwestern Seminary. She is a published, award-winning author and poet. Purchase her book Worthy of the Prize Sports Camps: A Church's Guide to Implementing an Effective, Community-Reaching Christian Sports Camp to be used as an outreach tool for your church or mission organization. Erin is the wife of A, a Worship Pastor, and a work-at-home-momma to 2 crazy little boys, a and e.